Nidera’s sales exceed 17 billion USD, and by majority acquisition of Nidera, COFCO becomes an international food procurement company.

China Bio news release, March 1, 2014

Prochlooroccus is the most abundant phototroph on earth. Based on extensive transcriptome analysis, it was found that gene expression, gene necessity, and mRNA turnover contribute to core genome maintenance during cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus genus evolution.

Bang WANG et al., BMC Microbiology 2014, 14:11

Corn is China’s largest crop and maintains an important position in China’s grdain security. The program which covers more than 10 R&D institutions including CAAS Institute of Crop Science and CAAS Institute of Biotechnology will focus on corn yield and quality traits based on genome analysis.

CAS news release, February 27, 2014

The study was done by Professor ZHANG Xueli’s group at TIB. The pathway engineering involved is based on a synergistic effect of transhydrogenase and NAD kinase to increase NADPH supply and led to 10.8 g/L isobutanol production in 24 hrs with a yield of 0.62 mol/mol glucose

CAS news release, February 26, 2014

Jiangsu Province Enviromental Industry Technology Research Institute published a report indicating that the number of soil remediation sites in China will grow quickly from 42 in 2013 (2 billion Yuan) to 685 billion Yuan in 2020. A group of well-capitalized companies have already started to get involved in soil remediation industry.

China Bio news release, February 24, 2014

Jilin Fuel Ethanol LLC is a joint venture of China Petroleum (55 %), Jilin Alcohol Industry (25 %) and the COFCO group (20 %) started in 2001. By the end of 2003, a 300.000 to fuel ethanol plant was started with a total investment of 2.09 billion Yuan. Meanwhile, proprietary technology has been developed for whole-corn pretreatment, transformation efficiency, vapor permeation technology and waste reuse. Today, production is 540.000 to and trends are towards the development of cellulose-based bioethanol

China Bio news release, February 25, 2014

Rapeseed oil is China’s largest source of edible vetetable oil (55 % of total), but oil content of rape is 4 % lower compared to Canadian rapeseed oil (41 %). The Hubei institute has started a breeding program to bridge this gap and reports good progress, with up to 65 % oil content varieties.

China Bio news release, February 25, 2014

“Yellow warning” implies reduced outdoor activities and health protection. It is a level 2 warning which can be aggravated to “orange” or “red” alerts.

Science and Technology Daily, February 20, 2103

Based on a comprehensive analyses based of a large variety of bacteria by integrating taxonomic, phylogenetic and metagenomic data it is suggested that a single-gene sweep, that is, the emergence of dnaE2 derived from an early duplication event of the primordial dnaE, followed by a series of niche-specific genomic adaptations, including GC content increase, intensive horizontal gene transfer and constant genome expansion, led to successful bacterial land colonization.

Hao WU et al., ISME Journal 2014, doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.247

With an annual increase of over 25 % for three consecutive years, China has now established leadership in 21 out of 35 WIPO technology areas. Invention patent applications in 2013 were 825.000, domestic invention patents were 144.000, 4.02 per million people.

Science and Technology News, February 20, 2013

Using Candida antarctica lipase B as a model, researchers around Yan FENG have shown that increasing the rigidity of flexible segments within the active site of the enzyme improved enzymatic kinetic stability.

Yuan XIE et al., JBC 2014, 10.1074/jbc.M113.536045

Nanjing’s Chemical Industrial Park Branch Chong DC Zijin has been approved by MOST as a national S&T business incubator, thus providing more funding, policy support and tax incentives.

China Bio news release, February 19, 2014

A group around Professor LAI Ren identified a peptide AH90 from frog skin which showed potential wound healing-promoting activity in a murine model with full thickness dermal wound. AH90 acts by activating NF-κB and c-Jun expression of cell signaling pathways resulting in upregulation of TGF-β, which can then activate downstream Smads by the TGF-β pathway.

Han LIU et al., International J. of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2014.01.010

Using TALEN technology and knock-in reporter genes, researchers around LI Xiaoping in collaboration with WANG Zhong from the University of Michigan developed this basic technology which allows for the tracking of stem cell differentiation and regeneration in the pig’s descendants

China Bio news release, February 13, 2014

Compared to the USA (70 million ha), Brazil and Argentina (40 and 24 million ha), GM crops in China are still a minor activity. GM plants in China are cotton, papaya, poplar, tomato and sweet pepper.

ISAAA press conference Beijing, February 13, 2014

A team of Nanjing University, Nanjing Medical University and the Yunnan Primate Center succeeded in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated simultaneous targeting of multiple genes in cynomolgus monkey embryos, demonstrating an efficient and reliable approach for genome modified monkey generation

Yuyu NIU et al., Cell 10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.027

The joint venture among Hainan Yedao Group and Sinopec Co. will strive to start production in 2014.

China Bio news release, February 12, 2014

China Civil Aviation Administration on February 12 awarded the 1st official bio jet fuel project technical standards ratification (CTSOA) to Sinopec. China is the 4th nation after the USA, France and Finland to have developed a certified manufacturing process. Jet bio-fuel prices are still 2-3 times that of ordinary jet fuel, but PetroChina and Sinopec believe that to solve technical problems and cost of bio-fuel manufacturing is not too difficult, the key question is rather to obtain bio-fuel feedstock. Candidates are canola oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, soybean acid oil, food oil and microalgae oil.

China Bio news release, February 12, 2014

The studies done at Rockefeller University, New York, are believed to allow insights into social evolution and behaviour of insects

BGI news release, February 11, 2014

The researchers around Lianfeng ZHANG used the CRISPR/Cas9 system for genome editing, resulting in animals with clinical symptoms – severe coagulopathy – typical for this disease.

CAS news release, February 11, 2014